The car landscape has dramatically changed in the past 10 years, with new brands entering the fray and dynamic market conditions shifting buyer wants.
Data from 2016 shows how different the cars were captivating the attention of Aussies only a decade ago.
The Toyota HiLux led the way, and the Ford Ranger was not far behind, but there was a theme of hatchbacks dominating the other top places.
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The Toyota Corolla took out second place, while the Hyundai i30 was in third and the Mazda3 sat in fifth.
Toyota continued to feature down the list with the Camry sedan, followed by the Australian built Holden Commodore.
Further down list, the SUV revolution can be seen to take shape in Australia, starting with the Mazda CX-5.
After the Mitsubishi Triton ute in ninth place, there were three SUVs in the Hyundai Tucson, Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-3.
The best-selling brands in 2016 has changed a lot compared to today. Toyota is still parked up at the top of the charts, but several big names have now been replaced by Chinese carmakers.
The Japanese duo of Mitsubishi and Nissan followed next, with Volkswagen being the only European brand in the top 10 after that.
Subaru came ninth in the standings, with Kia finishing in 10th, highlighting the brand's rapid development in Australia.
Top selling cars 2016
- Rank, Car, Sales
- 1, Toyota HiLux, 42,104
- 2, Toyota Corolla, 40,330
- 3, Hyundai i30, 37,772
- 4, Ford Ranger, 36,934
- 5, Mazda3, 36,107
- 6, Toyota Camry, 26,485
- 7, Holden Commodore, 25,860
- 8, Mazda CX-5, 24,564
- 9, Mitsubishi Triton, 21,897
- 10, Hyundai Tucson , 20,132
Top selling brands 2016
- Rank, Brand, Sales
- 1, Toyota, 209,610
- 2, Mazda, 118,217
- 3, Hyundai, 101,555
- 4, Holden, 94,308
- 5, Ford, 81,207
- 6, Mitsubishi, 73,368
- 7, Nissan, 66,826
- 8, Volkswagen, 56,571
- 9, Subaru, 47,018
- 10, Kia , 42,668
In 2021, there were clear changes to the market, but also some consistent themes.
The HiLux and Ranger duopoly was in full swing at the top of the standings, with Toyota's ute still edging Ford's.
Third position showed SUVs were taking over as the RAV4 picked up a huge chunk of sales.
There were still examples of a past market, with the i30 and the Toyota Corolla hatches sandwiching the D-Max ute.
Further down, SUVs increase their presence further, with the Mazda CX-5, Toyota Prado and MG ZS all making up the top 10, along with the Triton ute.
Pure internal combustion power remained a dominant player, with best-sellers such as the RAV4 and Corolla still yet to make its full hybrid transition.
Top selling cars 2021
- Rank, Car, Sales
- 1, Toyota HiLux , 52,801
- 2, Ford Ranger, 50,279
- 3, Toyota RAV4, 35,751
- 4, Toyota Corolla, 28,768
- 5, Hyundai i30, 25,575
- 6, Isuzu Ute D-Max, 25,117
- 7, Mazda CX-5, 24,968
- 8, Toyota Prado, 21,299
- 9, Mitsubishi Triton, 19,232
- 10, MG ZS, 18,423
Toyota was still on top as a brand in Australia, while Mazda and Hyundai continued their holding in the top three.
Ford was hot on the heels of Hyundai, followed by Kia which had surged up the sales charts in five years to claim a spot in the top five.
Mitsubishi and Nissan still occupied high places in the standings as did Volkswagen.
The big shift was the appearance of the only Chinese brand in the top 10, in MG. This foreshadowed what we see today where BYD is fast approaching a potential top-two finish in Australia.
Subaru picked up a 10th place finish.
Top selling brands 2021
- Rank, Brand, Sales
- 1, Toyota , 223,642
- 2, Mazda , 101,119
- 3, Hyundai, 72,872
- 4, Ford, 71,380
- 5, Kia , 67,964
- 6, Mitsubishi, 67,732
- 7, Nissan , 41,263
- 8, Volkswagen, 40,770
- 9, MG, 39,025
- 10, Subaru, 37,015
Fast forward to 2026, and only three top 10 sellers from 2016 remain. The Ranger and HiLux continue their battle at the top of the standings, but they are in decline.
Some unfamiliar names a few years ago are emerging as top choices for Aussie motorists.
The Chery Tiggo 4 small SUV has emerged as the best-selling SUV in 2026 to date.
Hyundai's Kona is next on the list followed by the D-Max Ute.
Mitsubishi's Outlander large SUV is sitting sixth, while the long-awaited launch of the new Toyota RAV4 has resulted in a burst of sales for the popular family car.
The Mazda CX-5 remains a regular feature at the top of the sales charts, with GWM's Haval Jolion sitting in ninth currently.
Rounding out the top 10 is Ford Everest.
This data only represents the first four months of the year, but it does show the general trends of where the market is headed.
Top selling cars 2026 (up to April)
- Rank, Car, Sales
- 1, Ford Ranger, 15,841
- 2, Toyota HiLux, 13,427
- 3, Chery Tiggo 4, 9186
- 4, Hyundai Kona, 8336
- 5, Isuzu Ute D-Max, 8252
- 6, Mitsubishi Outlander, 7903
- 7, Toyota RAV4, 7571
- 8, Mazda CX-5, 7477
- 9, GWM Haval Jolion, 7360
- 10, Ford Everest, 7081
Top selling brands 2026 (up to April)
- Rank, Brand, Sales
- 1, Toyota, 59,675
- 2, Mazda, 27,526
- 3, Kia, 27,080
- 4, Ford, 25,920
- 5, BYD, 25,243
- 6, Hyundai, 25,103
- 7, GWM, 19,595
- 8, Mitsubishi, 17,345
- 9, Chery, 16,058
- 10, MG, 14,273
There are no surprises in the top four best-selling brands so far, with Toyota out in front, followed by Mazda, Kia and Ford.
A monster month from BYD has pushed the Chinese giant brand into fifth, overtaking Hyundai. This is despite the brand not having a single car in the top 10 best sellers.
The final four highlight the success of Chinese brands in Australia as GWM, Chery and MG are all present, along with Mitsubishi.
Former mainstays Nissan, Subaru and Volkswagen are gone, and Holden has closed up shop completely.
